BSNL launches 4G LTE services in India starting from Kerala

State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has finally launched 4G services in India starting from Kerala. BSNL 4G services will be available at five locations – Udumbanchola, Udumbanchola Town, Kallupalam, Chemmannar and Senapathy in Kerala in the high range Idukki district and is expected to be roll out to other districts in Kerala later this year.

BSNL has also launched international pre-paid roaming to USA and Nepal for its pre-paid mobile customers. Prepaid Subscribers will now be able to use their BSNL connection in these two countries. In the USA, the service is being launched in association with T-Mobile while in Nepal, the facility is being provided by N-Cell. This will be beneficial to the large number of non-resident Indians and visitors to these countries.

It also also launched a new mobile prepaid ‘Home’ plan at Rs.67 with 180 days validity. This offers unlimited local/STD/BSNL roaming calls to one BSNL landline number in Kerala, other calls to BSNL network will be charged at 1 paise per sec and other networks at 1.2 paise sec. New customers get Rs.20 talk time and 500 MB data free for the first 30 days.

This is a landmark event and a historic moment for BSNL as we start our 4G services in the country. It’s also a matter of pride for us that the Kerala Telecom Circle was selected by BSNL for the national rollout of its 4G services. We have selected these remote locations for the launch as part of the Digital India programme and the 4G mobile services will be expanded across Kerala in a phased manner. We plan to cover the State by the end of this calendar year. We have applied to DoT for additional spectrum which would enable a faster roll out.